AR/MS 240 - Experimental Media and the Internet in Contemporary Art

The use of new media and the Internet has fundamentally affected art and our understanding of it. With technology becoming completely intertwined with our lives, underlined by the lingering effects of the pandemic, the difference between ‘art’ and non-art becomes increasingly blurred as a new phase of contemporary art emerges. This practice-based course will review these discussions alongside an overview of the history of both experimental and new media. We will discuss media technologies ranging from photography to film, sound, video, the body, and the Internet.

This course seeks to bring students from varying backgrounds together to engage in evaluating, strategizing, and employing experimental media as an artistic medium. Drawing on conceptual traditions that value concept over execution and actions over objects, experimentation, risk-taking, and participation are essential parts of this course; please come ready to work hard and share generously with your fellow students.